DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 9 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 13 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 15 recites the limitation "the rotor shaft" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al. (US 2020/0391588 A1). Yu discloses a longitudinal two-speed electric (paragraph 0027) drive assembly, comprising: a drive motor 1 (paragraph 0027) and a transmission mechanism; wherein the transmission mechanism comprises an input shaft 2, an intermediate shaft 9 and an output shaft 10, the input shaft is connected to the drive motor for transmission, the output shaft and the input shaft are coaxially arranged and connected for transmission via a first clutch (at 11), the intermediate shaft and the output shaft are arranged in parallel, the input shaft is provided thereon with a first gear 3, the intermediate shaft is provided thereon with a second gear 4 and a third gear 7, the third gear and the intermediate shaft are connected for transmission via a second clutch (at 12), the output shaft is provided thereon with a fourth gear 6, the first gear and the second gear are meshed for transmission, and the third gear and the fourth gear are meshed for transmission; wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are both electromagnetic tooth clutches (paragraphs 0008, 0010, 0012, 0034 and 0036).
Claims 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al. (US 2021/0031610 A1). Yu discloses a longitudinal two-speed electric drive assembly, comprising: a drive motor 71 and a transmission mechanism 10; wherein the transmission mechanism comprises an input shaft 21, an intermediate shaft 31 and an output shaft 32, the input shaft is connected to the drive motor for transmission, the output shaft and the input shaft are coaxially arranged and connected for transmission via a first clutch 42, the intermediate shaft and the output shaft are arranged in parallel, the input shaft is provided thereon with a first gear (at 11), the intermediate shaft is provided thereon with a second gear 12 and a third gear (at 13), the third gear and the intermediate shaft are connected for transmission via a second clutch 41, the output shaft is provided thereon with a fourth gear 14, the first gear and the second gear are meshed for transmission, and the third gear and the fourth gear are meshed for transmission; wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are both electromagnetic tooth clutches (paragraph 0039). The first clutch comprises a first fixed face gear (“The first gear 11 is provided with right contrate teeth.” – paragraph 0040) and a first movable face gear (“The first clutch 42 comprises a left contrate-tooth fluted disc.” – paragraph 0040); the first fixed face gear is fixedly connected to the input shaft, and the first movable face gear is connected to the output shaft via a spline (paragraph 0040). The second clutch comprises a second fixed face gear (“The third gear 13 is provided with left contrate teeth.” – paragraph 0040) and a second movable face gear (“The second clutch 41 comprises a right contrate-tooth fluted disc.” – paragraph 0040); the second fixed face gear is fixedly connected to the third gear, and the second movable face gear is connected to the intermediate shaft via a spline (paragraph 0040). A rotor shaft of the drive motor and the input shaft are an integrated structure (paragraphs 0016 and 0034). A new energy vehicle (paragraphs 0002, 0003, 0005 and 0030) uses the longitudinal two-speed electric drive assembly.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2, 11 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (US 2021/0031610 A1) in view of Qiu (CN 109990055 A). Yu teaches the limitations of claim 1, as explained above. In Yu, a rotor shaft of the drive motor and the input shaft are an integrated structure (paragraphs 0016 and 0034). Also in Yu, a new energy vehicle (paragraphs 0002, 0003, 0005 and 0030) uses the longitudinal two-speed electric drive assembly. Yu does not teach the limitations of claim 2. Qiu teaches an input shaft 3-1 and an output shaft 3-2 that are connected via a bearing 12. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to connect an input shaft and an output shaft as taught by Yu via a bearing, according to the known technique taught by Qiu, in order to rotatably support the adjacent ends of the input shaft and the output shaft. All the claimed elements were known in the cited prior art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results. MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (US 2020/0391588 A1) in view of Lenz et al. (DE 102019218873 A1). Yu teaches the limitations of claim 1, as explained above. Yu does not teach the limitations of claim 3. Lenz teaches an output shaft AW that is provided thereon with an output flange AF. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an output shaft as taught by Yu with an output flange as taught by Lenz in order to connect “the output shaft 10 to the transmission shaft of the vehicle” (paragraph 0042 of Yu). All the claimed elements were known in the cited prior art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results. MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Claims 3, 12 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (US 2021/0031610 A1) in view of Lenz et al. (DE 102019218873 A1). Yu teaches the limitations of claim 1, as explained above. In Yu, a rotor shaft of the drive motor and the input shaft are an integrated structure (paragraphs 0016 and 0034). Also in Yu, a new energy vehicle (paragraphs 0002, 0003, 0005 and 0030) uses the longitudinal two-speed electric drive assembly. Yu does not teach the limitations of claim 3. Lenz teaches an output shaft AW that is provided thereon with an output flange AF. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an output shaft as taught by Yu with an output flange as taught by Lenz so that “the transmission output shaft 32 is connected to an input shaft of the second power source 72” (paragraph 0033 of Yu). All the claimed elements were known in the cited prior art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results. MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Claims 6, 7, 15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (US 2021/0031610 A1) in view of Ono et al. (JP 2003-136970 A). Yu teaches the limitations of claim 1, as explained above. In Yu, a rotor shaft of the drive motor and the input shaft are an integrated structure (paragraphs 0016 and 0034). Also in Yu, a new energy vehicle (paragraphs 0002, 0003, 0005 and 0030) uses the longitudinal two-speed electric drive assembly. Yu does not teach the limitations of claims 6 and 7. Ono teaches a power take-off mechanism connected to an intermediate shaft (e.g., the shaft that extends from the left side of clutch B in Fig. 3) for transmission via a clutch B to draw power of a drive motor (e.g., 4; “Figure 3 is a power transmission diagram illustrating how the front and rear wheels 2 and 3 and the PTO shaft 17 are driven by the drive motor 7 and the PTO motor 4.” – paragraph 0011). The power take-off mechanism comprises a power take-off input shaft (e.g., the shaft that extends from the right side of clutch B in Fig. 3) and a power take-off output shaft 17; the power take-off input shaft and the intermediate shaft are arranged coaxially and connected for transmission via the clutch (Fig. 3), the power take-off output shaft and the power take-off input shaft are arranged in parallel (Fig. 3), the power take-off input shaft is provided thereon with a fifth gear, the power take-off output shaft is provided thereon with a sixth gear, and the fifth gear and the sixth gear are meshed for transmission (Fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an invention as taught by Yu with a power take-off mechanism as taught by Ono in order to drive work implements (e.g., “rotary tilling device 65” – paragraph 0024). All the claimed elements were known in the cited prior art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results. MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (US 2021/0031610 A1) in view of Ono et al. (JP 2003-136970 A) as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Zhou (CN 202130567 U). Zhou teaches a power take-off output shaft 37 that is provided thereon with an output flange 38. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a power take-off output shaft of an invention based on a combination of Yu and Ono, as set forth above, with an output flange on the power take-off output shaft, as taught by Zhou, in order to achieve power output (paragraphs 0022 and 0029). All the claimed elements were known in the cited prior art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results. MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH J FRISBY whose telephone number is (571)270-7802. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM - 5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason Shanske can be reached at (571)270-5985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEITH J FRISBY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614
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